FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Value Plays: 2-27-17

With guys like Russell Westbrook and James Harden dropping 60+ fantasy point games, they will be staples in the lineups for many of us. But... To grab those players, value is crucial in NBA, just like any other DFS sport. Value opens up through injuries, site pricing, and rotational changes. We are staying on top of that for you here, talking about the best value at each position. Bolded names are the players worth using. Unbolded names are there for comparison or analysis.

Back Court

Kyle Lowry is doubtful for tonight's game, which means we will see Cory Joseph step into big minutes yet again. He has played 33 and 36 minutes in the last two games Lowry has missed, but has yet to show up any real tournament winning ceiling, like he did against Brooklyn, in January. His FanDuel price tag puts him in play at just $4,400, while on DraftKings he is $5,200. He is reasonably priced on DraftKings, and is shooting guard eligible, which is a bonus. He has seen a 22.3% usage rate without Lowry this year, and has averaged 19-2-5. The 33 point game against Brooklyn certainly gave that average a jump. 25-30 fantasy points is where he should land tonight.

Sacramento's backcourt was a mess in the last game, and a lot of ceilings/minutes were cut into. Darren Collison played just 28 minutes, Tyreke Evans played 22, and Ben McLemore played 33. Those were the three that started against Charlotte. Ty Lawson played 23 minutes off the bench, with Buddy Hield playing 26. Langston Galloway even saw 12 minutes. This is an issue for me. McLemore scored 18 real points, and logged the most minutes. He has a lack of peripheral stats, so he will need to go off from the field to have any real value. The same goes for Hield. Evans is the one I am intrigued with the most, but more so on DraftKings. He will only play in the mid-20's for minutes with a restriction, but at $5,400 on DK, I am okay with it. I will be staying away from the other names for the meantime.

The Rockets added Lou Williams at the break, which caught me off guard. Another scoring threat? Well he has been superb in his first two games, and has played 25/26 minutes in the first two games. He is overpriced on FanDuel, at $6,300, but at a DraftKings price of $5,400, I am intrigued. Williams is a prolific scorer off the bench, averaging 19 real points in 24 minutes of play this season. Eric Gordon is a bit higher in minutes, seeing around 30 minutes a game. Gordon is a similar player, and god help the opponents with these weapons off the bench. Gordon is a bit cheaper, and is projected for 25-30 fantasy points depending on the site. Indiana ranks 20th against shooting guards this season, and have allowed the tenth most fantasy points per game.

Front Court

The Boston situation remains the same with Avery Bradley out. Jaylen Brown is drawing starts, while Marcus Smart comes off the bench. Atlanta ranks 24th against opposing shooting guards, and 26th against opposing small forwards. Jae Crowder's price has come down because of recent play, but bounced back last night against Detroit. We have seen him be much more consistent with Bradley out, and he scored 30+ fantasy points against Atlanta earlier this season. Boston has a high 108 total, and without much production from Al Horford, a lot is coming from various guards. Brown should be around 20-25 fantasy points tonight, which is good for a stars and scrubs approach. I expect more out of Crowder.

Dario Saric isn't your cheap plug and play at power forward anymore, which means we need to dive down into some unstabler names. One way to get exposure to Houston is through Ryan Anderson, but only in tournaments. The Pacers rank 25th against power forwards, and have allowed the seventh most fantasy points per game. At $4,800 on FanDuel and $5,000 on DraftKings, he is worth the risk. I feel the same with Willie Cauley-Stein, who followed up a monster game with an absolute dud against Charlotte. His minutes should be 25+ against Minnesota, but he is just tournament only.

I rather spend up just a little bit more at the power forward and center spots tonight. You can get consistent plays for about $1,000 more. Serge Ibaka is a great cash game play, and is at a really nice price tag for his production. He has seen a 20.2% usage rate in Toronto so far, averaging 16 and 8. The Knicks rank 23rd against power forwards this season, and are allowing the tenth most fantasy points per game. Dirk Nowitzki is an honorable mention as well.

Myles Turner and Tristan Thompson both sit around $6,000, and have juicy matchups. Houston ranks 30th against opposing centers, and are allowing the second most fantasy points per game. Turner is averaging over 30 fantasy points in his last five game, and finally showing some consistency. This game has a monster total to go after, and most of Indy comes at a cheaper price. Milwaukee ranks 21st in rebounding, and 20th against centers. Thompson has double-doubled in six of his last ten games, and has averaged 28 fantasy points per game in three meetings against Milwaukee this season, but only played 27 minutes per game. He is averaging 35 minutes per game in the last ten.